Thursday, August 11, 2011

Smugglers Notch, Vermont

Yesterday afternoon we drove into Stowe, over to Jeffersonville, and onto highway 108 to loop past the Stowe Ski Resort and back into town. Were we ever in for a huge surprise!

The eight mile stretch of Vermont highway 108 known as Smuggler's Notch is one of the most scenic drives we've ever encountered. As is typical for us, it was raining. That didn't dull our enjoyment of the drive but did affect photos. We loved it so much that we headed back up there first thing this morning. Again, we had some rain but I was able to get many photos. The trees, roots, mosses, foliage, and massive rock outcroppings are not to be missed if you are ever in this area. Until then, let me share a few of my photos. This few miles features some of nature's best mixed media sculptures. The photos of us are included to provide scale and perspective...these are massive rocks!

Other than gasps of wonder and awe, what we saw there mostly left us speechless. Except, of course, my frequent "Stop! I've got to get out! I'll walk to the next parking area and meet you there!" outbursts.

Small world story...as we drove out of Smuggler's Notch this morning, Rich asked me if I saw our campground neighbors drive through one of the times that I was out of the car walking. I had not. This evening I walked over to chat with them and she said, "You were the one in the road taking pictures when we drove by." Yep, that's me. As I headed back home after we had chatted for quite a long while he called after me, "You be careful standing out in the road like that!" I frequently hear that from Rich.